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Tipton Votes on Military Pay Increase

Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1301, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2017 by a vote of 371-48:

“At the end of last year, we voted in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2017 to increase pay for our troops, continue our support for Israel, and to keep dangerous terrorists in Guantanamo Bay. I was glad to see a clean defense appropriations bill that focuses solely on the defense priorities that the House outlined. One of our primary jobs in Congress is to provide for the common defense of the nation, and in order to do this, our military must have the resources to obtain proper equipment, receive essential training, and have the means to maintain overall readiness.”

The FY17 defense appropriations bill provides $583.7 billion in total discretionary spending for the Department of Defense, including a 2.1% pay increase for active duty forces. Congress approved $132.1 billion to reverse the drawdown of military personnel and maintain a force of 1.3 million active duty troops and 813,200 National Guard and Reserve troops. The bill also provides the Department of Defense $117.8 billion for equipment upgrades on existing weapons systems including 14 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, 61 UH-60 Blackhawks, and 13 total Navy ships in order to sustain successful operations.

The Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2017 must now be considered by the Senate.